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Grilled Hot Honey Salmon combines the rich flavors of perfectly grilled salmon with the sweet and slightly spicy taste of our easy homemade hot honey. This Hot Honey Salmon recipe is ready in less than 30 minutes and can be cooked using a cedar plank for added flavor. But if you don’t have a cedar plank, no worries! This recipe tastes just as awesome without it!
Food & Wine magazine still hails hot honey as one of the hottest condiments and food trends for the coming year. We use it in so many recipes, including our Hot Honey Ribs, Hot Honey Pizza, and this Grilled Hot Honey Salmon recipe. Just grill a seasoned salmon and glaze it with hot honey at the end. That’s it! If you want to enhance the recipe, and make it a bit easier to grill, feel free to cook it on a cedar plank like we have here (but it’s not necessary).
Table of Contents
Ingredients + Substitutions for Grilled Hot Honey Salmon
- Salmon – We use a whole salmon filet, but you can also use individual salmon steaks. It depends on how you want to present this. We recommend thicker salmon like Chinook (also known as King Salmon) or Atlantic Salmon. If you have a thinner cut, make sure to adjust the cooking times down like in our Smoked Sockeye Salmon recipe.
- Mustard – As a binder to allow the seasoning to stick. We love Dijon mustard, but you could use yellow if that’s all you have.
- Seasoning – We use our Salmon Seasoning, which is a combination of savory flavors. You can also try our Pork Seasoning with a touch of brown sugar.
- Hot Honey – You can use store-bought hot honey or make your own. We love our homemade hot honey recipe (it’s so easy to make at home and much cheaper than store-bought versions). Or try our Ginger and Garlic Hot Honey recipe for more flavor.
Tools Used
- Cedar Planks – You want to use cedar or alder planks made for cooking (and not treated). We have our guide on how to grill with cedar planks for more details. NOTE: You CAN easily make this recipe without the cedar planks. Just cook the salmon directly on the grill grates. But we love that using cedar planks adds flavor AND makes it very easy to cook salmon on the grill (it won’t stick to the grates).
- Instant Read Thermometer – The secret to perfect salmon is not overcooking it. Use a good instant-read thermometer like the Thermoworks Thermapen One so you never overcook salmon again.
- Long Tongs – When using cedar planks for Grilled Hot Honey Salmon – long tongs allow you to remove the cedar plank from the grill without burning your hands.
Preparation
- Start by soaking your cedar plank in water for up to one hour before using it. There is no need to soak longer. One hour should do the trick. We also don’t recommend using any other liquid, like wine, for soaking. It’s a waste of wine and won’t impart flavor to the plank. Skip this step if you aren’t using cedar planks!
- Remove pin bones from the salmon if there are any. You want good tweezers to remove them.
- Coat the salmon in Dijon mustard and then liberally apply the seasoning. Just before grilling, remove the plank from the water, and then place the seasoned salmon directly on the cedar plank, skin side down.
How to Make Grilled Hot Honey Salmon
- Preheat Grill: Prepare your grill for two-zone grilling, targeting 450 degrees Fahrenheit in the cooking chamber using lump charcoal.
- Grill Salmon: When the grill is at temperature, place the cedar plank with the salmon on the grill grates over the direct charcoal heat. Close the lid to the grill and allow to grill over direct heat until the internal temperature of the salmon reaches 130 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Glaze with Hot Honey: Glaze (brush) the salmon with the hot honey liberally. Continue grilling until the internal temperature of the salmon reaches 135 – 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Then remove and let rest for 10 minutes to allow carry-over cooking to happen. It will continue to rise in temperature another 5 degrees.
- Serve: You can slice and remove the salmon slices right from the cedar plank.
Garnish with some grilled lemons for a fun presentation. You can grill them at the same time as the salmon.
Gas Grill: Follow the same steps with a gas grill using two-zone grilling.
No Cedar Plank: If you don’t have a cedar plank, you can still follow this recipe using the same two-zone grilling process. Note: Target 400 degrees F in the cooking chamber (vs 450). Place the salmon, skin-side down, over direct heat. Then follow the same directions. The skin will prevent the salmon from charring.
Chef’s Tip
When you remove the cedar plank from the grill, it will be hot and potentially have burning embers on the bottom. You want to make sure when you remove the hot honey salmon that you place it on a surface that can handle that heat. We place it on a baking sheet to rest, otherwise it could burn a cutting board.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
If you have leftovers, you can reheat the salmon in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and wrap the salmon in foil. Place in the oven until the salmon has reheated to 140 degrees (or roughly 12-14 minutes).
Yes, hot honey is a great complement to the rich flavors of salmon. Glaze the salmon with the hot honey closer to when the salmon is done to avoid it burning. And you can also glaze some on after the salmon comes off and is resting.
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Wine Pairing
When pairing wine, look for something that has a little oak influence to complement the flavors of the cedar plank like Chardonnay. For a red, consider a Zinfandel or a bigger style Pinot Noir. Something with a pronounced fruity influence will go great with the sweet/spicy glaze from the hot honey and richness from the salmon.
Best Sides With Hot Honey Salmon
BBQ Side Dishes
Restaurant Style Roasted Potatoes
BBQ Side Dishes
Creamy Horseradish Mashed Potatoes
Food Recipes
Grilled Romaine Caesar Salad (recipe and video)
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Grilled Hot Honey Salmon
Equipment
- 1 cedar plank Be sure it's untreated and ok for grilling.
- Silicone Brush for Glaze
Ingredients
- 2 pounds salmon, (Pin bones removed)
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons salmon seasoning
- ¼ cup hot honey
Instructions
- Preheat Grill: Prepare your grill for two-zone grilling, targeting 450 degrees Fahrenheit in the cooking chamber using lump charcoal. (*See notes if you're not using a cedar plank)
- Prep Salmon: Coat salmon with mustard and liberally apply the seasoning. Place the seasoned salmon on the pre-soaked cedar plank.
- Grill Salmon: When the grill is at temperature, place the cedar plank with the salmon on the grill grates over the direct charcoal heat. Close the lid to the grill and allow to grill over direct heat until the internal temperature of the salmon reaches 130 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Glaze with Hot Honey: Glaze (brush) the salmon with the hot honey liberally. Continue grilling until the internal temperature of the salmon reaches 135 – 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Then remove it from the grill and let rest for 10 minutes to allow carry-over cooking to happen. It will continue to rise in temperature another 5 degrees.
- Serve: You can slice and serve the salmon directly from the cedar plank.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Such and easy way to add flavor. The cedar plank is a fun way to add flavor, but you don’t need it. Or consider making this as salmon filet’s. If using filets we recommend grilling direct flesh side down and then finish skin side down.